MLB is loaded with young talent right now. Juan Soto landed in free agency last offseason and signed the richest deal in baseball history worth nearly $800 million. The Baltimore Orioles are loaded with young talent like Jackson Holliday and Gunnar Henderson, among plenty of others. The Kansas City Royals have an MVP candidate in Bobby Witt Jr., while the Cincinnati Reds have 23-year-old superstar Elly De La Cruz.
This doesn't even mention San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill or Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes. These two stars battled it out for the NL Rookie of the Year award a year ago, but they now sit in two very different situations.
Skenes is unlikely to be extended or re-signed by the cheap Pirates while the Padres just gave Merrill a nine-year, $135 million contract extension that has the potential to grow to over $200 million. Merrill is beyond deserving of this deal, and it's become a trend for the Padres to land these deals with their star players.
The Toronto Blue Jays could afford to take a page out of San Diego's book. There's a chance the Blue Jays are left in shambles after this season if their stars leave in free agency.
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Blue Jays missed the boat by not extending their stars
I bet the Blue Jays wish they had given Vladimir Guerrero Jr. a Padres-esque contract extension a few seasons ago. Instead of buying out Guerrero's arbitration years and locking him until the 2030 season or beyond, the Blue Jays are left with their superstar heading to free agency after this season.
This extension could light a fire under the Blue Jays, too. They still have time to get an extension done, and they may be more willing to pay Guerrero after seeing another franchise lock up its star player. While the Blue Jays won't be able to pay Guerrero the same salary that Merrill landed, Toronto could certainly look to find an extension before the $600 million superstar lands in free agency.
When Guerrero gets to free agency, there's no telling the kind of deal he could land. Toronto would have been better off finding a deal for him before he got there, just like the Padres did with Merrill.